Rosemary Beach Vacation!

Michael and I went to Rosemary Beach a few weeks ago!  The only other trip the two of us have taken together since the kids arrived was to Charleston for my childhood friend's wedding.  And while we had a blast in Charleston, I was a bridesmaid in the wedding so we spent half of the trip away from one another.  We decided it was time to take a real vacation with no agenda.

Well we had two things on our agenda: Sleep in and eat good food.

My family has traveled to Sanibel Island since I was two, so whenever I think about Florida my mind immediately goes there.  However, I'd heard so many great things about Rosemary Beach so I started researching it.   Four minutes later I yelled to Michael in the other room, "We're going to Rosemary!"  If you've never been, it's a little beach town close to Panama City and has the most gorgeous white sandy beaches.  People ride bikes everywhere, the shops are really nice (read: not touristy), and the food is amazing.

I looked on VRBO for houses to rent and came across a modern loft on top of Barrett's Square.  It was perfect so we booked it and then I stopped thinking about it until we got on the plane.

Ok, let's be honest, I thought about it all the time - especially when my toddlers were crying or constantly wanting something or constantly crying about wanting something.  But I didn't let myself plan anything.  And for those of you who know me, that is just crazy.  I used to make trip itineraries that brought Michael to his knees.  I really just wanted this to be relaxing and low stress.  The second we make reservations and appointments, relaxation goes out the window.

The place we stayed was above a few shops.  One was Fitz & Emme, a really cute children's boutique (they had coordinating seersucker b/g toddler swimsuits and if they weren't $80 each I would've bought them in a heartbeat) and the other was Amavida, a local coffee shop.  Basically my dream come true.  Here's a brief look at the rest of our trip...

Wednesday, April 15
Once we dropped off our bags in the room, we walked around Rosemary and visited the beach.  I think I exclaimed, "I am so excited to be here!!" 4,334 times.  Give or take.  We ate at The Red Bar for dinner and both of us had blackened grouper served with spinach and grits.  We later decided this was our favorite meal of the entire week.  Afterward we went to this popsicle stand right next to our place.  Michael had a key lime popsicle and mine was milk and cookies. These popsicles were legit - his actually had a graham cracker crust and mine had cookies.

 

Thursday, April 16
We started our day at the coffee shop (each day I ordered coffee and he ordered looseleaf tea and then we'd sit on our balcony and drink while constantly exclaiming how quiet it was).  While we were never really able to sleep in, waking up and realizing you have absolutely no responsibility for anyone other than yourself is a pretty great feeling.  We had brunch at Summer Kitchen and then spent a few hours on the beach.  It was a little overcast so neither of us wore sunscreen (I know, I KNOW).  Anywho, we both burned a little.  We didn't even care.  Once we showered and cleaned up, we went to Wild Olive for wine and a cheese plate.  This was probably our favorite memory of the trip.  When you have two toddlers, mid-afternoon cheese trays and wine are what dreams are made of.  It was perfect.

We walked around some more shops and then had dinner at George's that night.  Something I forgot to mention - we ate every meal outside.  That is always our rule if the weather is nice and it's an option.  Several people recommended George's and I would as well - so good and really pretty outdoor patio.

Since we'd already spent the entire day eating, we decided to continue that trend and go to La Crema - a tapas and chocolate bar - for dessert.  I ordered a mocha and we each got a different chocolate dessert.  I am certain we gained weight on Thursday.

Friday, April 17
We had our morning coffee and then drove to Seaside for an early lunch.  We ate at Great Southern where I had fried okra that was just straight up crazy.  Never seen anything like it.  Afterward, the weather was iffy so we (wait for it) went to a movie.  I know that sounds crazy to do on a vacation but before kids we LOVED going to the movies so we figured, "Why not?"

For dinner we ate at Paradis and since it was the last night of the trip, Michael got this amazing steak that I stared at the entire meal.  Total food envy.  We went back to our little popsicle stand and this time I got an orange/mango popsicle (he got the key lime again).

Even though we didn't get to sleep in most days, are you starting to understand how important food was to us on this trip?  Every meal was long - we savored being able to have great conversation and zero distractions.

Warning: The humidity was CRAZY.  I tried fixing my hair multiple times and finally gave up.  This conversation took place on Friday:

Me: I don't know if I even want to wash my hair today.
Michael: Are you just going to put it in a ponytail again because of how frizzy it's been?
Me: (Looks at Michael with mouth agape)
Michael: No! That's just what you've been saying! It looks great! It looks great.
Me: It's the humidity!!!!!

Saturday, April 18
When we woke up on Saturday, I was a little sad to be leaving but so excited to see the kids.  I told Michael this was such a nice change from previous vacations where I was just sad to leave.  Now we get a fun bonus upon returning! :)  We had our morning ritual of coffee (I purchased a mug as a souvenir) and then we packed up and said goodbye to Rosemary.  Someone had recommended The Bay, which was good but not our favorite.  This is very likely due to end-of-the-trip-blues.

A huge (HUGE) thank you goes out to both sets of grandparents for watching Jude & Sloane while we were away.  We know that is no easy task and we were so grateful for their help.  Michael and I decided that while we want most of our vacations to be with our kids, we want to take a couples trip every few years, just to remind ourselves how much fun we still have together.  Michael has always made our marriage a priority but I've definitely slacked since the kids arrived.  It was so nice to have this one-on-one time and I'm also excited the kids got to spend some quality time with their grandparents.